The Republic of Displaced Calvinists
The Republic of Displaced Calvinists (La République des Calvinistes Déplacés) was founded by a group of persecuted Calvinistic French Protestants belonging to the Reformed Church who were forced to flee their homeland. Starting as a tiny band of Huguenots, they sailed for West Africa and built a small colony in order to practice their faith in peace. They were later joined by several families of Scottish Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed backgrounds who wished to lend their support to the fledgling colony. The Belgic Confession Rocks! Nation Information Displaced Calvinists is growing new nation with citizens primarily of French ethnicity whose religion is Protestant Christianity. Foreign and Domestic Policies The Republic of Displaced Calvinists has emerged from being a tiny plantation colony into a fledgling nation with a developing economy and technology. Displaced Calvinists is a very passive country when it comes to foreign affairs and has no interests in war. It is currently researching nuclear technology for the use of nuclear power plants but believes nuclear weapons should be banned. The Republic's paramilitary police force, La Gendarmerie Nationale, has been positioned at all border crossings and is arresting all drug traffickers. Displaced Calvinists allows its citizens to protest their government but uses a strong police force to monitor things and arrest lawbreakers. It has an open border policy, but in order for immigrants to remain in the country they will have to become citizens first. Displaced Calvinists believes in the freedom of speech and feels that it is every citizens right to speak freely about their government. The government gives whatever is necessary to help others out in times of crisis, even it means hurting its own economy. Displaced Calvinists will not make deals with another country that has a poor history of inhuman treatment of its citizens. Geography and Climate Flat. Flat as all get-out. Hot and humid with lots of electrical storms, too. Guess we moved too close to the Equator for our European Colonialist tastes. Dang, those mosquitoes are big.... Located in the Volta Region between Ghana and Togo in West Africa, Displaced Calvinists has a tropical climate. There are two rainy seasons. The first is between April and June, followed by a relatively mild period between June and September. The second rainy season hits in September and October, with temperatures between 70 and 85 degrees, Fahrenheit. November through March is hot and dry, with temperatures reaching as high as 100 degrees. Told you we moved too close to the Equator.... Cities New Batavia Colony is the nation's largest city and the capital of the Republic. New Batavia Colony serves as the center for radio and print media, governmental administration, and research into peaceful uses for uranium. Other notable settlements include *Coligny *Huguesville *Cauvin *St. Giles Village *Mont Jan-Hus. Coligny is famous as the center for Displaced Calvinists' water bottling industry, while Huguesville is noted as an important hub serving the nation's cattle ranching industry. Cauvin is the headquarters for the world-famous Ferrel's Geneva Fried Chicken fast-food franchise. St. Giles Village is a suburb of New Batavia Colony, and is home to the Knox Junior Hamburger restaurant chain. St. Giles Village also houses the nation's only paved airstrip, which serves as the nearby capital's international airport. Mont Jan-Hus (Mount John Huss) is the site of the Republic's new international short-wave radio station, "Voice of the Huguenots." Government Originally founded as a Republic, Displaced Calvinists temporarily changed their form of government to more closely resemble the wishes of the people, and adopted a pro-business Capitalist administration. A recent plebiscite vote returned Displaced Calvinists to a Republic form of government. The Head of State is the colonial Governor-General, currently Sheldomar Bolak, who is serving a five year term. The Legislature is called the Classis, and consists of six elected secular businessmen and three Protestant clergymen. Each member of the Classis serves a one year term. Rev. Ian MacKenzie is the current Moderator of the Classis. The Governor-General serves also as the mayor of the captial city, and the Classis serves as the capital's city council. Plans are underway to separate the governmental bodies of New Batavia Colony and the Republic as the nation grows. The nation's Judicial system is based on Reformed Church canon law. A panel of Protestant ministers and church elders form a board called the Consistitory, which serves as the nation's court of law, and judges all cases. Rev. Pierre-Paul LeFevre is currently the Stated Clerk of the Consistitory. Political Parties There are at present no political parties, per se. They are not outlawed, they just do not exist at this present time. Differing opinions in public affairs are represented more by the various church denominations, rather than through organized political efforts. The majority Reformed Church holds the sway of influence over the Republic, but the Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, and Jewish populations also have a voice in matters. In this regard, the nation may be considered a theocratic republic, dominated by Calvinistic Christian thought. Military Public Safety Minister Yves Purdue is head of Displaced Calvinist's paramilitary police force, La Gendarmerie Nationale. State security, national defense, civic police work, disaster response, and search-and-rescue duties all fall under the umbrella of La Gendarmerie Nationale. Armament is mostly surplus equipment purchased from other nations. The Infantry-Militia is equipped with a variety of small-arms purchased on eBay. Heavy armament is limited to five 50-caliber machine gun crews, four mortar crews, six recoilless rifle crews, a single 105 mm howitzer, and one flame-thrower. River patrols are conducted by three converted bass boats, each mounted with a WWII surplus recoilless rifle, and a converted barge sporting several 30-caliber machine guns, two mortars and a rather large Vietmam-era recoilless rifle. We really love our recoilless rifles.... Displaced Calvinists also has available six jeeps, five military trucks, seven motorcycles, two command/communications cars, plus eight Renault police patrol automobiles. Displaced Calvinists currently has no Naval or Air Forces. Economy Displaced Calvinists' pro-business administration has provided a healthy atmosphere for thriving industrial ventures. International trade has vaulted this tiny plantation colony into a moderately successful and prosperous little nation. Currency Since its days as a plantation colony, the Republic has adopted the Central African Franc (CFA) as its unit of currency. Natural Resources The primary natural resources that form the base of the nation's ecomomy are cattle and water. Cattle ranching is the largest industry in Displaced Calvinists, as evidenced by the large number of ranches dotting the mostly flat countryside. Bottling water from the famous Volta River in West Africa serves as a second major source of exportable income for the country. Trade Displaced Calvinists' oldest trading partner is Crazyland, a Jewish nation that provides access to silver and pigs. The Bismarck Nation, another Jewish nation, serves as the source for the country's aluminum and rubber supplies. The Democracy of Yasnaya Polyana is the major source of furs and spices, and the Sihk dictatorship of Chafer supplies Displaced Calvinists with sugar and uranium. Domestic Industries Besides cattle ranching and water bottling, Displaced Calvinists has a thriving Fast Food industry, with Ferrel's Geneva Fried Chicken chain giving a healthy competition to the popular Knox Junior Hamburger restaurants, famous for their Trumpet-Blaster Burgers and Iconoclastic Milkshakes. Displaced Calvinists' current research into the peaceful uses of atomic energy, while far from complete, still adds a significant boost to the economy. The nation's Bible printing house produces Bibles, psalter-hymnals, and Protestant Christian literature in several languages for distribution world-wide. This particular venture is subsidized by the government directly, as it is not a profitable enterprise, but does provide employment for several dozen citizens. Failed Ventures Other attempted businesses, such as starting coffee plantations and salt mines, have proved to be less financially rewarding, causing these failed industries to shut down as resources are diverted toward more profitable ventures. Religion Protestant Christianity Having been founded as a colony of refuge for persecuted Huguenots (French Calvinistic Protestant Christians), Displaced Calvinists' major and official religion is the Reformed Church. The Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism are actually placed in an appendix on the end of the nation's constitution. The Reformed Church is the heart and soul of the Republic, making up 80% of the population between its French and Dutch members. The citizens of Displaced Calvinists, having been persecuted for their beliefs and driven from their homelands, tend to hold their faith in high regard in both their personal and public lives. The Presbyterian church, which is almost indistinguishable from the Reformed Church, makes up an additional 12% of the population. Both the Reformed Church and the Presbyterian Church are Calvinistic, can trace their roots directly back to the reformer John Calvin, and have a presbyterian form of church government (similar to a republic where elected elders oversee the church.) The major differences are that the Presbyterian Church is from an English-speaking background, is more influenced by John Knox's Book of Church Order, and adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith rather than the Reformed Church's Belgic Confession. For all intents and purposes, the government treats the Presbyterian church the same as the Reformed Church in its status as the official state religion. Together, they make up 92% of the Republic's populace. Freedom for Protestants is guaranteed under law. Other major Protestant traditions, such as Lutheranism and Baptists, are given equal standing along side the majority state-sanctioned Reformed and Presbyterian churches. The majority of these Christians are also from a French background, and are also considered to be Huguenots. Together, these two minority groups make up 5% of the nation's people. Altogether, the nation is 97% Protestant Christian, broken down into the following groups: French Reformed Church (76%) Scottish Presbyterian (12%) Dutch Reformed Church (4%) French Lutheran (3%) French Baptist (2%). Roman Catholicism, as well as groups officially labeled by the government as "cults" (such as Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Third Wave Charismatics) are banned, and the penalty for attempting to spread these faiths within the boundaries of Displaced Calvinists is immediate deportation. Simply holding to any of these officially "aberrant" faiths is not considered a crime unto itself in the civil courts, but may lead to excommunication from the Reformed Church. There currently is no government policy regarding Eastern Orthodoxy or Pentecostalism within the Republic. Officially, there is a broad tolerance provided for non-Christian religions, particularly Judaism. Judaism The largest non-Christian religion is Judaism at approximately 2% of the population. There is a unique relationship between the Christians and Jews of Displaced Calvinists. By law, the Jews are required to observe the Jewish sabbath (sunset Friday to sunset Saturday), while Christians are required to observe Sunday as an official Day of Rest. While the majority Christian population is observing their Day of Rest, the Jewish working population keeps the infrastructure of the nation running, holding important positions in the military, public safety, police, and health-care industries. Most of the Jewish population of Displaced Calvinists migrated as part of the hired military-police protection for the colony at the invitation of the Public Safety Minister, Yves Perdue. A recent influx of additional French Protestant immigrants into the nation has reduced the percentage of Jews from 3% to 2% of the population, even though their actual numbers have remained steady. Other Religions Other religions, mostly followers of Islam and Indigenous Animists following a religion closely related to Voodoo, comprise nearly 1% of the population total. Estimates are 0.55% Animism-Voodoo and 0.4% Muslim. These are made up of the local native population who have attached themselves to some of the outlying ranches and plantations as ranch hands. While efforts have been made to convert them to Protestant Christianity, there is no penalty or discrimination for those who do not wish to become Christians. Approximately half the native Ewe population has converted to Christianity, and have become members of either the French Reformed or the Lutheran churches. People 98% of the nation's inhabitants are colonists and immigrants from an European background (mostly French). The ethnic and regional origins of the Republic's inhabitants are broken down as follows: 80% French. 13% British Isles and North America 4% Netherlands 2% Indigenous Native (Ewe peoples) 1% Other Culture and Media Much of the culture of Displaced Calvinists has been imported from the native lands of its inhabitants, and is currently dominated by a French Protestant world-view. Freedom of religion for Protestants, the Bible and psalm-singing currently play prominent roles in the national psyche. Media consists of the national daily newspaper, The New Batavian Herald, and the country's state-owned AM radio station (Radio RCD-1). A Bible publishing house, New Batavia Press, produces written materials for both domestic use and for distribution overseas. An international short-wave radio station, "Voice of the Huguenots" (Radio RCD-2) has just been built as a cooperative effort between the government and the Republic's French Reformed congregations. A privately owned commercial FM radio station is being planned under the financing of businessman Roland LeBlanc. History The Region Prior to 2005 Called the Gold Coast by early European explorers, the region was originally settled by the native Ewe peoples. The area currently occupied by Displaced Calvinists was first colonized as part of German Togoland between 1884 and 1914. During World War I (1914 - 1918), combined French and British forces invaded, and split Togoland between them. The portion that includes modern-day's Displaced Calvinists' current territory went to the United Kingdom after the war, and was added to what became the nation of Ghana as the Volta Region in the 1950's. New Batavia Colony At the collapse of world order in 2005, France was given back the administration over several of its former colonies, including French Togoland. Ghana relinquished the Volta region to French control, and France subsequently allowed a band of exiled French Protestants to create New Batavia Colony there as a city of refuge from persecution. When the settlers realized that they had simply been dumped off and abandoned by their home government, they declared independence in October of 2006, creating the Republic of Displaced Calvinists. For further details, please refer to the articles New Batavia Colony and the personal history of Sheldomar Bolak. Please also view the Current Events below. Current Events Straight from the Headlines of the New Batavian Herald ! CCC Chancellor's Nation Attacked! Holy American Empire suffers unprovoked attack from Notre Dame... War Relief Funds sent... *Happy Thanksgiving! This holiday reminds us of the blessings of peace we have enjoyed, despite the troubles our young Republic has experienced. Thanks be to God, who has given us all good things to enjoy. *Imperator Paulus I, the Chancellor of our alliance and leader of the Holy American Empire, found himself under an unprovoked and sudden attack by forces of the rogue nation of Notre Dame, led by the mysterious and allegedly unstable Mark Raynor. The war opened with a nuclear missile raining down unexpectedly upon the Holy American Empire, followed by repeated air raids and infantry incursions. The reason given? Simply that the Holy American Empire is a member of the Black team. Fellow members of our alliance have sent in troops, funds, and other aid, and have helped the Holy American Empire beat back the aggressor. *Special Thanksgiving Day offerings were taken in New Batavia Colony, St. Giles, and Coligny for the War Relief Efforts, and 20,000 Central African Francs were raised to ease the suffering of the hard-hit citizens of the H.A.E. Our offer of sending in a handful of Gendarme peace keeper troops was deemed unnecessary. Peace negotiations are rumored to currently be underway between members of our alliance and Notre Dame. It is reported that the aggressor nation has been reduced from a feared nuclear power into being not much more powerful than our tiny Republic. Alliance With CCC Approved! Displaced Calvinists now a Member of CCC... Huguesville Rebels Negotiate... Floods Ravage Huguesville Rural District! 22 Novembre: An alliance treaty was signed earlier this week with the Christian Coalition of Countries (CCC), as the Classis voted 7 to 2 in favor of the alliance. News of our Republic joining the CCC was greeted with much rejoicing in the streets of New Batavia. The Governor-General told the nation, "This is a new day, that promises increased security for our tiny Republic." The supposedly secret organization rebelling in the Huguesville countryside districts turns out to be none other than the entire Huguesville Cattlemen's Association! Turns out, that much of the populace of our Republic have been very unhappy about our nation's stance as a pacifist state and the negative effect it has been having on our economy. Instead of military force, the government has opened negotiations. "In our hunt for Bruchard-Cleuseau, we've totally neglected the economic well-being of our own citizens," declared interim Finance Minister, Jacque DuBois, in the government's address to the nation over Radio RCD-1. "The Huguesville Ranchers' grievances are being examined carefully, and some of their more reasonable demands have already been met." The October rainy seasons have lingered late into November this year, with disasterous results. Unexpected downpours have taken their toll in the Huguesville Rural District, sweeping away many homes in the worst flooding in our nation's short history. The troubles in the countryside are making relief efforts difficult at best. "It may be a month or more before we can get help out to the worst-hit areas," reports Public Saftey Minister, Yves Perdue, "The Cattlemen have chosen a poor time to rebel, as it makes it so much harder for us to help them now." Rebellion Rumored in Huguesville District! Secret Organization hiding in the countryside said to be plotting to take over the government... National Productivity declines... Governor-General Bolak's speech... Presbyterians renew their protests... Novembre 19: The nation's morale took a nose-dive today as rumors surfaced of a secret rebel organization in Huguesville's rural cattle ranching district plotting to overthrow our government. While agents of La Gendarmerie Nationale investigate the allegations, Governor-General Sheldomar Bolak took to the airwaves on Radio RCD-1 to reassure the populace of the strength and stability of our Republic: "If we can survive the machinations of Bruchard-Cleuseau and the Jesuits, then we certainly have nothing to fear from a bunch of disgruntled ranch hands!" The mere mention of Bruchard-Cleuseau on national radio sent the Presbyterians of St. Giles Village back to the streets in a renewed protest against our former Finance Minister's acts of sabotage and espionage. Alliances Considered, Plus Other News, Nov 16 Alliances Debated in the Classis... "Voice of the Huguenots" Shortwave station begins first broadcasts... The hunt for Bruchard-Cleuseau continues... Presbyterians still agitated from October riots... *The Parliamentary Classis is considering various alliance options for the sake of increased national security in the wake of the Embassy bombings in Yasnaya Polyana last weekend. Overtures have been received from at least two alliances, and the Classis is considering making overtures to a third possibility. The names of the alliances being considered have been withheld for security reasons. *Great News! The new international shortwave radio station has just been completed on Mont Jan-Hus! "Voice of the Huguenots" has begun broadcasting this evening, sending news of the Gospel around the world! French, Italian, English, Dutch, and Spanish language programs represent our nation to the world, and share the Good News of Jesus Christ in regions where our ministers would never be allowed to preach. Pray for our broadcasts, that they bear much good fruit. *Public Safety Minister Yves Perdue reports that our Gendarme agents have begun collecting clues and are now hot on the trail of the mastermind Jesuit terrorist, Jean Bruchard-Cleuseau. "This mission will take our men to the far corners of the Globe, but be assured, we will prevent this madman from taking another innocent life," was Perdue's promise to our beloved Republic. *Assistant Pastor George Irving of the Free Presbyterian congregation reports that the English-speaking populace is still up in arms over Bruchard-Cleuseau's espionage and acts of sabotage that so terribly disrupted life in our Republic. He disclosed that certain congregational members were barely restrained from open rebellion against our nation, and the quick actions of our government in taking control of the situation most likely saved the colony from unraveling at the seams. Meanwhile, several Presbyterians demonstrated in the streets of St. Giles Village and New Batavia yesterday, chanting and waving placard signs that read, "Kill Cleauseau!" Tragic Embassy Bombing in Yasnaya Polyana! Embassy building leveled.... 8 Dead.... Jesuit spies blamed.... Warrant issued for Bruchard-Cleuseau's arrest.... Minister Perdue describes "Jesuit Threat" to our Republic....Papacy denies responsibility.... 12 Novembre: Tragic events greet us this Lord's Day morning, as word comes of the horrific bombing of our embassy building in the nation of Yasnaya Polyana. Displaced Calvinists' good-will ambassadors, Francois and Claudette Treudeaux, were slain by a blast that leveled the embassy building. Surviving witnesses claim a man dressed as a Jesuit priest and matching the description of former Finance Minister Jean Bruchard-Cleuseau was seen dropping off a large vial of holy water wrapped in a rosary at the Ambassadors' residence, ringing the doorbell, and then running while laughing maniacally in Latin. Forensics teams reveal that the holy water was really nitroglycerin, and the rosary contained a timer and blasting caps. In response to this tragic event, Governor-General Bolak and the ambassador from Yasanya Polyana issued a joint statement of condolences to the Treudeaux family following the National Sabbath School Radio Hour. Yves Perdue, Minister of Public Safety, has issued a warrant for Bruchard-Cleuseau's arrest, and has dispatched special agents of La Gendarmerie Nationale to track him down and bring him to justice. Minister Perdue remarked, "We made a big mistake to think that by letting him leave the country, that he'd no longer be a problem to us. We must deal with Bruchard-Cleuseau and the Jesuit threat once and for all!" Meanwhile, representatives from the Vatican denounced the act as the work of a renegade madman, and report that they are also seeking Bruchard-Cleuseau for questioning. However, the Papists took the ill-timed opportunity to accuse our beloved Republic and the Treudeaux family of smuggling pocket Bibles into Catholic countries in an attempt to spread Protestantism, which they labeled, "a reprehensible act of terrorism in and of itself!" The Papal spokesmen railed, "These Protestant heretics have Bibles, Fast-Food, and Uranium. Can you think of a more Devilish combination?" The Stated Clerk of the Consistitory, Rev. Pierre-Paul LeFevre, responded to the Romanist insults with 2 Timothy 3:8-9, "Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth...but they shall proceed no further, for their folly shall be manifest to all men." Technology Arrives! Positive signs of growth show Displaced Calvinists on Right Track 8 Novembre: Finally, for the first time since our Colony was abandoned by our homeland and we were left to fend for ourselves, we have Technology! The AM Radio station now has a generator instead of announcer Pierre Maynard running a treadmill between commercial breaks. Soon, kerosene lamps will be a thing of the past! Debate is underway whether to lay ground lines for a future telephone system, or skip straight to cell phones. The future for Displaced Calvinists is bright indeed! New Interim Finance Minister Appointed Bruchard-Cleuseau Replaced! Good Riddance You Filthy Bum! 5 Novembre: Happy Guy Fawkes Day! Former Finance Minister and accused Jesuit spy Jean Bruchard-Cleuseau has been officially replaced one week after fleeing for Rome after embezzling the colony's funds and trying to assassinate the Governor-General. Jacque DuBois, a deacon in the French Lutheran congregation, has been appointed by the Governor-General and the Legislative Classis as interim Finance Minister. Minister DuBois prayed for God's assistance in his new duties at his inauguration last Thursday, November 2nd. The Mid-Week Prayer Meeting Riots of Oct. 25th Finance Minister Jean Bruchard-Cleuseau Accused of Spying for Jesuits Due to some rather exceptional blunders by members of Displaced Calvinists' government, particularly on the part of former Finance Minister Jean Bruchard-Cleuseau, a portion of the population rose up in a minor but boisterous rebellion, known as the Mid-Week Prayer Meeting Riots of October 25th. It had been made public by Legislative Classis Member, Reverend Ian MacKenzie to his Scottish Free Presbyterian congregation in their Wednesday night prayer meeting, that Jean Bruchard-Cleuseau had been behind the recent failure of the colony's coffee plantations and salt mines, and accused the Finance Minister of being a Jesuit spy sent to sabotage the colony. The Scottish Presbyterians took to the streets in protest, and soon the entire population of New Batavia Colony was in an uproar, demanding Bruchard-Cleuseau's immediate ouster. Bruchard-Cleuseau urged the government to put down the riots with military force, but Governor-General Sheldomar Bolak and Public Safety Minister Yves Perdue made speeches in the public square and over the national radio station appealing for calm while an official inquiry took place. Before an inquiry could officially begin, Jean Bruchard-Cleuseau fled the country with a sizable but undisclosed portion of the nation's wealth. Found in his personal possessions left behind were a rosary, five vials of holy water, a Roman Catholic Missal, a small desk flag from Vatican City, and the clerical garb of a Roman Catholic priest in Bruchard-Cleuseau's size. When the evidence was handed over to the Governor-General, the rosary exploded, and would have killed Mr. Bolak had not his deluxe copy of Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion shielded him from the blast. The Great Recession of Oct. 21st Coffee Plantations Fail; Salt Mine Explosion Kills Mining Project Further inquiries have revealed that the Great Recession of Oct. 21st was also directly attributable to former Finance Minister Jean Bruchard-Cleuseau as a direct result of his personally sabotaging the coffee milling equipment purchased for the fledgling plantations. His finger prints were also found on a set of explosives caps that were used to dynamite the new salt mines closed just as the Governor-General was officiating at their Grand Opening. The explosion took place just as the Governor-General cut the ribbon to the mine's entrance. That act of sabotage put an end to the mining project permanently, and nearly killed Governor-General Sheldomar Bolak and injured four members of the ruling Legislative Classis, including Reverend Ian MacKenzie. Category: Nations